Tofu with Black Pepper-Caramel Sauce

One might think that tofu would be a big challenge for a Militant Carnivore. I confess that my initial encounters with it in a college cafeteria did not compel me in any way to try it, given that it seemed more like cumin-scented insulation material than food. However, I’ve come to love tofu. If you would also like to love tofu, you must accept the following:

1) You should never have tofu at a college cafeteria.

2) Tofu is not a meat substitute.

The only substitute for meat is meat. Tofu is a wonderful foodstuff in its own right, and once you stop trying to make it behave like a hamburger or a turkey or Peking duck, your appreciation for it will greatly increase. Here’s a good way to get into it:

1 c sugar

one package of extra firm tofu

1 lime

Put the sugar in a skillet, like so:

Put it on low heat; shake the pan occasionally, but do not stir. Meanwhile, slice the tofu into 3/4 inch-thick prisms. When the sugar looks like this…

… add half a cup of water, a few generous pinches of salt and lots of black pepper. Stir until the caramelized sugar has dissolved in the water. Put the tofu in the caramel and cook over medium heat, turning every minute or so, for about ten minutes. Stir the juice of a lime into the caramel. If the caramel reduces too much, add a little more water to thin it out. When the tofu is ready, let the caramel reduce to a glaze and coat both sides of the tofu. Serve.

I made this last week and it turned out pretty well, though, as you say, I had to add some extra water. The trickiest part was waiting for the sugar to melt and then, once it did, catching it before it burned (confession: I burned my first attempt and had to try again). Other caramel recipes I’ve seen often start with moistened sugar or even a sugar syrup. I think the risk of burning the sugar is lessened that way, though then you have to wait even longer while the water boils off.

I imagine that would slow the caramelization process down somewhat, given that I don’t think the sugar can caramelize until the water evaporates. (I think; does anyone know for sure?) This would give you a little more leeway.

One key thing is to use a light-colored skillet. If one were to make this in, say, a cast-iron skillet, it would be very difficult to gauge the doneness of the caramel.